Rationale
The instructional objectives were selected to help students meet expectations of their future employers. They will need to know how to perform research on the internet. The students should be able to use queries to locate needed information. They must be able to evaluate the information for relevance, accuracy, timeliness, and absence of bias.
Students should know the difference between the career options for a high school graduate with or without additional education beyond high school. The need to know the types of work for which they would be eligible in each case as well as the salary range, potential for growth on the job, and the relative demand for workers in each career field (expected for the next 10 years).
By asking the students to research several levels of career options, they will also be able to compare the working conditions, salary levels, and amount of post-high school education needed to qualify for each occupation. When they are asked to research the amount of growth that is expected in that occupation over the next 10 years, they will have a better idea of whether a job will be available to them when they are ready to apply.
The rationale for developing a Curriculum Web for the career development unit rather than some other teaching method relates to the growing importance of the internet as a job search tool. With so many web-based resources about careers available on the internet, the curriculum Web was an obvious choice for the unit. the students will have many links to explore.
Students should also be able to assemble the information they gather into an organized written or oral presentation that communicates the information in a clear, comprehensive manner.
The culminating project for the unit includes a real-world non-internet-based component that allows students to exercise their skills in the use of business-related software. this is another of the standards mentioned in the Wisconsin Model.